Possum Status Update 16th Sept 2012

Still no sign of Nosferatu. At this stage we're assuming he has met with some accident; either a python or one of the other many hazards a possum has to put up with.

Another new male possum has been seen in the area. It's possible that this possum is Dexter, who visited very briefly in May last year.

Unknown Brushtail (Possibly Dexter) 12/9/2012 [Photo by Xesce]

For comparison, here are photos of Dexter and the new possum. Bearing in mind that possums look different when photographed from different angles, and also that Dexter will have grown somewhat since the first photo (well over a year ago), I think it's quite possible this is the same possum.

Left: Dexter 2/5/2011   Right: New Possum, Possibly Dexter 12/9/2012 [Photo by Xesce]

It's now spring time and the possums (both ringtails and brushtails) are often seen at the top of a nearby Chinese Elm, nibbling the new growth. I assume this is tasty, but it might also be that the bare branches on this tree make it difficult for pythons to sneak up on them. Here's a baby ringtail (still un-named) who visited the tree recently with his/her mother. It's possible Wasabi is the father since he's the only male ringtail we've seen in the area for a long time.

Baby Ringtail 11/9/2012

A big python has been seen on the roof and lurking in nearby trees. At first I thought it was Grendel because it looks about the same size, but, on closer inspection, the pattern on the back is significantly different.

Here's a photo. This shows perhaps about 2/3 of the snake. I'd estimate it was 2.5 m long.

Carpet Python 14/9/2012

The day after this python was spotted, Flea, who had previously ignored the possum boxes (often sleeping in the garage door in preference to nearby box 7), slept in box 1 for the first time ever. She entered the box shortly before 7am, which is well after it got light (dawn is currently at 5:22am) and unusually late for a possum. It's possible that presence of the python had something to do with this.

Flea has now completed her course of treatment and, although she's still missing a patch of fur, there is now no sign of infection. Another victory for the Ceclor treatment! Here's a recent photo of her. You can see that her pouch is bulging noticeably.

Flea 16/9/2012

Svejk still has a noticeable limp, but he seems to be getting around without any problems.

Finally, here's a photo of Kiki and Svejk together in a tree. It's very unusual to see these two this close together; normally Svejk would have been chased off by this time. Possibly they're mating, but are being more discreet about it than Pinot was.

The area's dominant possums: Svejk (left) and Kiki (right) 14/9/2012